Slay the Princess on PC

I can’t remember exactly when I first caught wind of Slay the Princess, a grim visual novel that leads you down a seemingly endless number of hopeless paths. What I do remember, however, was feeling as though this was something I absolutely had to play.

The premise is right there in the title: chained in the basement of a cabin is a princess, and you are tasked with slaying her. Allegedly, she is a wicked entity that will bring the world to ruin, though at first glance, she doesn’t look that threatening. Or does she? It’s really up to you, based on the consequences of your actions and inactions.

In my case, I eschewed my usual instinct on the first run and elected to proceed in a fairly no-nonsense manner. I followed the prompts I deemed preferable, and made my move to slay the Princess at the earliest opportunity. Though my blade struck true, it wasn’t without suffering a mortal wound of my own. We both laid there, bleeding, and the narrator announced that I was dead.

You might think that this would put you back at the start, a ‘game over’ of sorts that urges you to act more carefully, but Slay the Princess plays a different sort of trick. You will return to the beginning, all right, but things are not quite as they were. Your character remembers what happened, and you’re allowed to question how you’ve found your way back here. A new voice chimes in, and it isn’t until subsequent playthroughs that you discover that those additional voices will differ depending on how you played.

In short, it’s an absolute mindfuck. Like thumbing your way through a Give Yourself Goosebumps book, you may find yourself double guessing each choice you’ve made, or alternatively, you could try to break the system by acting as obtusely as possible. At some junctures, you are presented with so many options, you can feel downright overwhelmed. Do you act pragmatically? Cautiously? Recklessly? Foolishly?

Perhaps on occasion it’s more the illusion of choice than the actual delivery of such, with a few destinations pre-ordained earlier than you’d like while the rest of the options provide little more than narrative set dressing. The pathways themselves are fascinating enough that this doesn’t prove too much of a detractor.

Despite the myriad of painful ways you may perish, there isn’t necessarily a ‘wrong’ way to go, and indeed, you’re encouraged to try again and again, with as many wild ambitions as possible, to see what might come of things this time around.

The landscape around you changes. The rapidly growing number of voices urge you in one way or another. And most significantly, the Princess herself evolves in any number of ways. This is perhaps my favourite aspect of all; were she just some kind of ruthless killer, she would already be compelling. Instead, she morphs into a range of eldritch monsters, each more terrifying than the last. Your death practically becomes a reward by this point, because you’ve been blessed with the presence of a new iteration of true horror.

Slay the Princess evokes a real sense of unease, because you’re never quite sure how much it knows. Even when completing a fresh new run, the implication is there that your existence is simply a continuation of what preceded it on other runs. It’s not quite Doki Doki Literature Club levels of existentialism, but it is definitely up there.

Beyond just the narrative, this game is a complete package in the aesthetics department, too. The monochromatic illustrations, which range from simplistic to disturbingly detailed, give the appearance of a dreadful pop-up book; and enticingly, moving the cursor around the screen will shift the perspective ever so slightly, with objects moving on different plains based on their depth.

It couples perfectly with the commanding performances of Jonathan Sims and Nichole Goodnight. The former, who voices the narrator as well as the myriad of voices in your head, holds everything together with his seriousness (in stark contrast to the increasing absurdity taking place), while Goodnight toys with your emotions in line with where the Princess is dwelling in your consciousness.

The visuals of an eerie pop-up book, and the vibe of a creepypasta? This is everything that the horror genre ought to be.

There isn’t really much more that Slay the Princess could have feasibly done to be a more impressive package. Its core gameplay loop — an admittedly short experience predicated around repeating a lone encounter — might not be for everyone, but that would be like saying a parachute isn’t a suitable item to give a fish. A parachute is no less a good thing, just because you’ve paired it inappropriately.

All this is to say, if you’re even somewhat interested in psychological horror, visual novels, or dare I say, even dating sims, you cannot overlook Slay the Princess. It’s already been out for several months by this point, but fear not… she’s still waiting for you.

Final Verdict

Slay the Princess

REVIEW COPY PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER

Release Date: 23 October 2023

Platform: PC

Developer: Black Tabby Games

Publisher: Black Tabby Games

The fact that a game revolving around a repeated experience could be so content rich is a testament to the talented team behind it. Slay the Princess is a can’t-miss tour de force of the horror genre; showcasing exactly why indie games should be spoken of in the same breath as their AAA brethren.

My only regret is that it took me this long to get around to playing it (there’s probably a reason why my monthly Crunchyroll column is titled Late to the Party). Had I visited that mysterious cabin a little earlier, this would have absolutely been in the discussion for my 2023 game of the year.

You needn’t need the same mistake I did, however — because nothing is stopping you from seeing what all the fuss is about for yourself.